Ambushed
by suzie2b
Summary: Moffitt and Tully run into trouble while waiting for Troy and Hitch at a waterhole.


**Disclaimer:** _ **The Rat Patrol**_ **is not my property. They come out to play sometimes, then I send them home.**

 **Ambushed**

 **By Suzie2b**

 **Moffitt and Tully were the first to arrive at the rendezvous point. The waterhole provided good cover and shade for them to rest in while they waited.**

 **Moffitt got out of the jeep and stretched. "Well, we may be here a while, Tully. Troy and Hitch aren't do for at least a couple of hours."**

 **Tully got out and went to the back of the jeep. He started to unlash the jerry can marked "WATER" as he said, "I hope they've been as successful as we were. Having the last two pieces of that puzzle Captain Boggs told us about could mean beating the Germans out of that prime piece of real estate along the coast."**

 **#################**

 **On a ridge, not far away, a German motorcycle with a sidecar and two soldiers watched Moffitt and Tully pull into the waterhole. One turned to the other and asked in German if he saw any sign of another jeep. When the other shook his head, the first nodded, telling him to radio their commander that they were watching a part of the Rat Patrol.**

 **The call was made and it was explained that two members of the infamous Rat Patrol were at the waterhole and if the commander took his patrol in on the north side, chances were good they wouldn't be seen until it was too late.**

 **#################**

 **Tully was trying to keep an eye on their surroundings as he filled the jerry can from the well while Moffitt was going over the map he had spread on the hood of the jeep. They hadn't seen any signs of enemy activity since they left the German base at Qartag, but for some reason the hair on the back of Tully's neck was standing on end. He capped the can and turned just in time to see two German soldiers push through the dense scrub. Tully yelled a warning to Moffitt, but it was too late. The Germans sprayed the jeep and Moffitt with machine gun fire.**

 **Tully ducked for cover at the well as bullets ricocheted off the stone. He reached for the machine gun he'd leaned against the well. Then he peeked around to see where the Germans were and saw that there were now four crouching in the cover. Tully looked over at the jeep and saw Moffitt lying face down and unmoving on the sand. He knew he had to do something … and fast.**

 **Taking a deep breath, Tully rushed out of hiding with his gun blazing. The Germans began to return fire as the American ran toward the jeep. Tully managed to get to cover and let out a sigh of relief. He reached up and into the back of the jeep for one of the German grenades he knew was there.**

 **Tully took a careful look around to pinpoint the Germans positions again and ducked back as bullets hit the side of the jeep. He could hear a voice yelling in German, what he assumed were orders, from somewhere beyond his line of sight. Tully silently counted to three as he unscrewed the grenade's endcap, then pulled the now exposed ring as he stood and let it fly. He hit his mark, but not before he was hit by a bullet.**

 **As he sank to his knees, Tully heard the explosion and the cries of the German soldiers as they died. As he collapsed onto his side and closed his eyes, he could just make out the sound of a halftrack speeding away, and thought as he lost consciousness, "Guess I scared 'em off."**

 **##################**

 **The commander of the German patrol heard and saw the explosion. Heard his men cry out and knew they were dead. He looked at the empty halftrack that sat next to his, then at the four men with him. He'd heard the stories about how two of the desert scavengers could be as deadly as the four together and decided to cut his losses. He ordered his driver to leave. There would be other opportunities to get the Rat Patrol.**

 **#################**

 **When Tully opened his eyes he didn't know how long he'd been laying there. He sat up slowly and put a hand over the painful wound in his side. Then he grabbed the edge of the jeep and hauled himself to his feet. Seeing that Moffitt hadn't moved, Tully moved as quickly as he could to his fallen comrade. He carefully rolled the sergeant onto his back and saw that he'd been hit three times—chest, side, and leg. Ignoring his own pain, Tully got a med kit and went to work.**

 **He was resting against the jeep with a machine gun across his lap when Moffitt woke up. Tully crawled the few feet to his friend's side. "Just be still, sarge."**

 **Moffitt groaned. "What happened?"**

" **Ambush. I didn't see 'em soon enough…"**

" **Not your fault." Moffitt grimaced as he asked, "How bad?"**

 **Tully sighed. "You took a bullet to the chest and the side of your abdomen. A third went through your thigh. I got the one out of your side, but I was afraid the other might be too close to your lung for me to try for."**

 **With a shaky hand Moffitt moved Tully's open and bloodied shirt aside to see a field dressing. "You were hit too."**

" **Don't worry about me, sarge. I'm fine." In an attempt to keep Moffitt awake, Tully said, "The jeep's a mess. Tires blown out, radio's in pieces, the engine got hit bad."**

 **Moffitt managed a weak smile. "I guess we'll just have to wait for Troy and Hitch to get here then."**

 **Tully glanced at his watch and said, "Yeah, they should be here soon." When he looked back at the sergeant, Moffitt's eyes were closed. "Sarge?" There was no response. "Moffitt?" Still nothing, but Tully was relieved that his friend's chest was still moving as he breathed. He adjusted the blanket he'd covered the sergeant with and went crawled to sit against the jeep again.**

 **As the time passed, Tully knew it was likely they'd both die before help arrived. He and Moffitt had lost a lot of blood, maybe too much. He was starting to have trouble staying focused and awake. Tully would check his watch, but as he stared at it he couldn't figure out what it said. He thought about Charley, his family in Kentucky, and his three best friends.**

 **#################**

 **It had taken Troy and Hitch a bit longer to get to the rendezvous than they'd figured because they had to get around a German convoy and then a scout column. When they rolled into the waterhole, the first sight that met them was the shot up jeep, steam still rising in occasional light puffs from the damaged radiator.**

 **Troy looked around as he quickly got out of the jeep and drew his pistol. "Hitch, check the perimeter. Be careful."**

 **The private silently grabbed a machine gun and started out.**

 **Troy slowly circled the other jeep, giving it a wide berth. Then he spotted Moffitt and rushed to his side. Checking for vital signs, Troy quickly discovered his fellow sergeant was alive … barely. When he turned, he saw Tully curled up on his side next to the jeep. Troy moved to him to check for signs of life and was rewarded with a weak but steady pulse. He carefully moved Tully onto his back and saw the bloody bandage when his shirt fell open.**

 **Hitch joined Troy and asked worriedly, "Are they alive?"**

 **Troy nodded as he stood up. "Yeah, but they're both in bad shape. What did you find?"**

" **Four dead Germans and an abandoned halftrack."**

" **Get on the radio. We need medics and an ambulance out here fast."**

 **After Hitch had hurried away, Troy heard a groan from Tully. He knelt at the private's side again as unfocused eyes opened. "Just take it easy, Tully. Help's on the way."**

 **Tully's voice was barely a whisper as he said, "Moffitt…"**

" **He's alive. Can you tell me what happened?"**

 **Tully managed to get one word out before he again fell unconscious. "Ambush."**

 **It was an hour before medics from a battalion in the area arrived. Both Moffitt and Tully were immediately started on plasma.**

 **#################**

 **The ambulance took the two injured men back to their battalion and the nearest medical help.**

 **Tully was the first to awaken after surgery. He was groggy and the world was blurry, but he could make out Troy and Hitch sitting next to him.**

 **Hitch leaned close and said quietly, "You're gonna be okay, Tully. Just rest."**

 **Tully gritted his teeth as pain flared in his side. He whispered, "Moffitt?"**

 **Troy said, "He made it through surgery. He's still in recovery."**

 **Hitch had gone to get a nurse. A dose of morphine later and Tully was asleep.**

 **When morning came, Moffitt awoke to find Troy sitting between his and Tully's cots. He asked quietly, "Have you been here the whole time?"**

 **Troy looked at his friend and smiled. "Hitch and I took turns through the night. How're you feeling?"**

 **Moffitt sighed. "Lousy. How's Tully?"**

 **Troy looked over at the sleeping private. "He's going to be all right. The wounds themselves weren't as bad as we first thought, but you both lost a lot of blood."**

" **Has he been awake?"**

" **A bit, off and on. He's been worried about you."**

 **Moffitt yawned. "Any idea what happened? I vaguely remember hearing Tully shout a warning, but that's it."**

 **Troy nodded. "He said it was an ambush."**

 **Hitch walked in and grinned when he saw Moffitt was awake. "You're looking better."**

 **Moffitt smiled a bit and said, "I doubt that, but thank you anyway."**

 **Troy grinned as he stood up and said, "Okay, I'm going to hit the showers and get some breakfast. I'll be back in a while."**

 **Hitch sat down in the chair that Troy had vacated. He picked a book up off the floor next to the chair and said, "I found this in Tully's pack. I've been reading from it."**

 **Moffitt asked tiredly. "What is it?"**

" _ **The Ox-Bow Incident**_ **by Walter Van Tilburg Clark."**

" **Good story as westerns go. Please, don't let me stop you. Tully's always said hearing a familiar voice can be quite comforting when one doesn't feel well. I believe he's right."**

 **Hitch smiled as Moffitt moved carefully to get comfortable and closed his eyes, then he began to read from where he'd left off.**


End file.
